Name three typical features you might record when mapping urban land use during fieldwork.

• A. Residential areas, commercial zones, industry
• B. Rivers, mountains, forests
• C. Schools, hospitals, government buildings
• D. Parks, farms, mines

Answer: (A)

When mapping urban land use, you classify areas by function to show how a city is organized around living, working, and economic activity. The three most typical features to record are residential areas, commercial zones, and industrial areas. You’d note where people live, where shops and offices cluster, and where factories or warehouses are located, often near transport routes or on the city's edge. This trio captures the core structure of most urban areas: housing, places for trade and services, and sites of production. Recording these helps reveal patterns of density, centrality, and the relationship between where people live and where they work.

Rivers, mountains, and forests are natural features rather than urban land-use categories, even though a map of a town might show water bodies or topography. Schools, hospitals, and government buildings are examples of institutional land use and are important, but they’re more specific facilities within the broader commercial or residential categories. Parks, farms, and mines are either recreational, rural, or resource-extractive uses and don’t represent the typical trio used to describe urban land use in field mapping.